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Police charged Nydia Carrillo-Maldonado, who owned Little Bears Beginnings Daycare, with first-degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor, police said Monday.
The infant, Bella Redondo of New Canaan, was declared dead at Stamford Hospital at about 6:20 p.m on July 20. Stamford EMS rushed the girl, who was having difficulty breathing, from the daycare center at 48 Wardwell Street at approximately 3 p.m. that day, Daily Voice previously reported.
Police were notified of her death at 6:27 p.m. Many top officials said the delay was hampering the investigation, the Stamford Advocate previously reported.
The department's special investigations juvenile division then arrived to investigate the death. Officers believed that Bella may have passed away under suspicious circumstances and began an investigation, police said.
The Connecticut Office of Chief Medical Examiner was also notified of the death, and the State’s Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy, police said.
The office labeled the death a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head. Stamford investigators then began an investigation which concentrated on the proprietor of Little Bears Daycare — Carrillo-Maldonado, police said.
After numerous interviews and consultations with medical professionals, investigators coordinated with State's Attorney Richard Colangelo in submitting an arrest warrant for Carrillo-Maldonado, police said.
Carrillo-Maldonado was issued a bond of $200,000 with a court date of August 22, police said.
Stamford police Captain Richard Conklin and Lieutenant Diedrich Hohn said the case had been a main focus in the department.
“This case was the departments’ top priority for the last several weeks,” Conklin and Hohn said in a joint statement. “Investigators worked tirelessly to bring the person responsible for the death of a defenseless two month old infant to justice and to assist in restoring the sanctity to the daycare profession.”
Conklin and Hohn said the case is ongoing, and they hope the case brings closure to the baby’s family.
“This case was arduous for the family and for investigators and our condolences still extend to the Redondo family," Conklin and Hohn said. "SPD Youth Bureau investigators should be recognized as well as the States attorney’s office for their professionalism and collaboration in this somber case."
Bella was born on April 24, 2016, and lived on Locust Avenue in New Canaan with her parents and three siblings.
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